Conventional workforce management systems are typically designed to optimize and solve the problems faced by the mobile workforce but very few have concentrated on the need of their customers and on ways to improve the overall customer service experience. A few systems offer a web based customer interface that provides limited information or interaction capabilities. All mobile workforce/field service companies (e.g. cable, repair, delivery personnel) typically only provide a large time based windows (“in the morning”, from 8:00 to 11:00 AM) to their customers. In turn the customers must make sure they are in the corresponding location (the customer situs location) during that entire projected “arrival time” span. There is a need for a customer to be able to access the real time location and estimated arrival time of the corresponding mobile worker assigned to the task.
Numerous systems and methods exist for automatically tracking the location of users. Such tracking may be performed to support context-aware applications, to provide location-based services, or for a variety of other reasons. Tracking of users is often performed by tracking the location of a device or object uniquely associated with the user. For example, numerous mobile devices carried by users today include technology that enables the location of such devices to be determined with varying degrees of accuracy. Such technology may include but is not limited to Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, Wi-Fi technology, cellular telephony technology and Bluetooth™ technology.
There is a need for a system, method and a service to perform location tracking limited to the context of the business (e.g. location of a customer, of a partner, or a task team member) non-intrusively enabling a user-customer-business to seek limited location information associated with the mobile worker.
It is well known that service men and women and sales persons who visit customer locations throughout a wide geographic territory are oftentimes delayed in meeting appointment times. These appointment times are set, in advance to provide service, repair and goods to the customer at the customer location or site or to engage the customer in conversations and demonstrations in an effort to sell goods or services to the customer. With the advent of GPS-enabled electronic devices (cellular telephones, smart phones, tablet computers and other devices having GPS-enabled circuitry), it is easier for the person assigned to the task (the service man or salesman) to locate the customer. However, a problem still exists if a number of customers are scheduled for a single day or if the task person must visit other stores or locations to collect additional service personnel or equipment or supplies (vendor locations) in order to complete the task at the customer's location.
Databases and spreadsheets (a spreadsheet being a two dimensional database) have been developed to provide customer service and improve customer relations through the use of computer programs and computer systems. Notwithstanding these tools, business have experienced difficulty in monitoring mobile work forces and sales forces which need to visit the customer site to close a sale or repair equipment or provide other services at the customer's location. The present system and method seeks to solve problems associated with a mobile workforce.
The system and method uses generic off-the-shelf smart-phones (with built-in GPS support (either standalone or assisted GPS)) with custom software, generic servers and custom software for telephony based access (both inbound and outbound if the customer requested to be notified asynchronously).